Mississippi Valley

Mississippi River
Ojibwe: Misi-ziibi, Dakota: Mníšošethąka, Myaamia: Mihsi-siipiiwi, Cheyenne: Ma'xeé'ometāā'e, Kiowa: Xósáu, Arapaho: Beesniicie, Pawnee: Kickaátit
Mississippi River near Fire Point in Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa
Name origin: Ojibwe word misi-ziibi, meaning "Great River", or gichi-ziibi, meaning "Big River"
Nickname: "Old Man River"
Country	United States
States	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana
Tributaries
- left	St. Croix River, Wisconsin River, Rock River, Illinois River, Kaskaskia River, Ohio River
- right	Minnesota River, Des Moines River, Missouri River, White River, Arkansas River, Red River
Cities	Minneapolis, MN, St. Paul, MN, La Crosse, WI, Quad Cities, IA/IL, St. Louis, MO, Memphis, TN, Baton Rouge, LA, New Orleans, LA
Source	Lake Itasca
- location	Itasca State Park, Clearwater County, MN
- elevation	1,475 ft (450 m)
- coordinates	47°14′23″N 95°12′27″W / 47.23972°N 95.20750°W / 47.23972; -95.20750
Mouth	Gulf of Mexico
- location	Pilottown, Plaquemines Parish, LA
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	29°09′04″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333Coordinates: 29°09′04″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333
Length	2,320 mi (3,734 km)
Basin	1,151,000 sq mi (2,981,076 km2)
Discharge	for mouth; max and min at Baton Rouge, LA
- average	593,000 cu ft/s (16,792 m3/s)
- max	3,065,000 cu ft/s (86,791 m3/s)
- min	159,000 cu ft/s (4,502 m3/s)
Mississippi River tributaries

The Mississippi River is the chief river of the largest drainage system on the North American continent. Flowing entirely in the United States (although its drainage basin reaches into Canada), it rises in northern Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for 2,320 miles (3,730 km) to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains. The Mississippi ranks as the fourth longest and fifteenth largest river in the world by discharge. The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Native Americans long lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Most were hunter-gatherers, but some, such as the Mound Builders, formed prolific agricultural societies. The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century changed the native way of life as first explorers, then settlers, ventured into the basin in increasing numbers. The river served first as a barrier, forming borders for New Spain, New France, and the early United States, and then as a vital transportation artery and communications link. In the 19th century, during the height of the ideology of manifest destiny, the Mississippi and several western tributaries, most notably the Missouri, formed pathways for the western expansion of the United States.